Snap-in socket



July 5, 1938. R. w. STEARNS 2,122,348

SNAP-IN SOCKET Filed Dec. 24, 1937 as 4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII III?fay/71012???" cffgarmr a, may

Patented July 5, 1938 PATENT OFFICE SNAP-IN SOCKET Raymond W. Stearns,Detroit, Mich.

Application December 24,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a socket for a lamp or other electrical deviceadapted to be held in a means for holding yieldingly; to avoid removal,when desired; to provide the socket with a double flange, one part ofwhich is adapted to pass through the hole, preferably circular, in thepanel board or support and the other having a flange held against thesame for the purposes above described, and to provide a length of coilspring flexed into circular form to come between these two flanges Fig.3 is an end View in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of one form of spring holding device, and

Fig. 5 is a similar view of another form of spring holding device, alsocoming within the scope of this invention.

This is a self-contained socket avoiding the necessity of a bracket onthe panel board or the like, thereby reducing the expense. The inventionis shown as applied to a panel board H), or other support, having acircular perforation H for receiving the entire socket and theinstrument or lamp with which it is provided.

The socket comprises a tubular member E2 of sheet metal having a bottomclosed except for an opening to receive an electric cable l3 whichconnects with a terminal l4 inside the tubular member. It is providedwith a plate I 5, preferably backed up by a spring l6, so as to providea spring-pressed terminal. The tubular member [2 is provided with theusual bayonet slots I"! for receiving the pins I8 on the base I9 of anelec- 1937, Serial No. 181,670

tric lamp or other electrical instrument. The tubular member I2 isprovided at the end with an outwardly projecting concave flange 28. Itis also provided with a fixed tubular member 2| having a correspondingflange 22 spaced from '5 the flange 20 and also having a flat annularextension 23 beyond it.

These two flanges 20 and 22 are concave so as to receive a holdingdevice in the form of a coil spring 2 3 of circular cross section. Thiscoil spring is a very inexpensive device for use in holding the socketin the panel board, or the like, and it is preferably made with its twoends finished and the end coils at 25 contacting, as shown in Fig. l.This constitutes a preferred form but, if desired, it can be made with alittle more difflculty to remove by providing one end exactly as shownin Fig. 4 and reducing the other end 26, as shown in Fig. 5, to such adegree that it will enter the larger end and hold the spring more firmlyin place. The spring in this caseis made a little longer than in theother. In either case it furnishes a yielding holding device.

The spring is other side of b the spring through the hole, ordinarily.

l The supports, as for example panel boards I l), may be of diiferentthicknesses in difierent instances and a single construction will takeup these differences so that whatever the thickness of this support maybe within ordinary limits, different sizes of springs will not have tobe used. It will be seen that the spring comes in back of the edge ofthe hole, at one end, and that at the other end at 20' the concaveflange reaches over the center of the spring. In both cases it is heldthe perforation. 50

This constitutes a very inexpensive and neat device for the purposeintended, without projecting parts and without the use of any brackets.The projecting flange 23, of course, comes against one side of the plateit] while the spring bears against the other side and thus the socketholding the socket in a perforation through a is held againstlongitudinal dislocation. supporting plate, comprising a circular flangeon Having thus described my invention and the the tubular member, acircular flange on the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limitedto sheet metal member, and a yielding coiled spring the details hereindisclosed, otherwise than as surrounding the socket, located betweensaid set forth in the claim, but what I claim is: flanges, and slightlylarger in outside diameter As an article of manufacture, an electricsocket than said perforation, to enable it to be pushed comprising ahollow sheet metal member, a tubuinto the perforation and hold thesocket in place, 1&1 membe Se e therein and p jec g but capable ofyielding under pressure to allow therefrom, a spring pressedelectricterminal in the socket to be withdrawn. 10 said tubular member,and means for detachably RAYMOND W. S I'EARNS.

